Obstacle discrimination device and obstacle discrimination method

• US 7,541,917 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hosokawa, Toshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Toan N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehmood; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/270,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20060103514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/438, 180/175, 180/271, 180/274, 180/282, 701/45, 701/301, 701/302
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01095 optical
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/36 using airbags

Abstract

An obstacle discrimination device has a first detection unit, a second detection unit which is more resistant to damage than the first detection unit, and an obstacle discrimination ECU. The obstacle discrimination ECU performs at least one of a discrimination for determining whether or not an obstacle colliding with a vehicle is a lightweight obstacle and a discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is a heavyweight obstacle based on detection signals of the first detection unit, and performs a discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle based on detection signals of the second detection unit. The obstacle discrimination ECU sends instructions corresponding to discrimination results to a pedestrian protection device and the like of the vehicle.

Claims

1. An obstacle discrimination device for discriminating among a pedestrian, a lightweight obstacle lighter than the pedestrian and a heavyweight obstacle heavier than the pedestrian in a collision of a vehicle, the obstacle discrimination device comprising:

a first detection unit;

a second detection unit which is more resistant to an impact due to the collision than the first detection unit, wherein

the first detection unit is mounted at a low-stiffness member of the vehicle, the low-stiffness member being readily deformed to buffer the impact in the collision,

the second detection unit is mounted at a high-stiffness member of the vehicle, the high-stiffness member being more resistant to a deformation than the low-stiffness member, and

the high-stiffness member includes two front side members of the vehicle; and

an obstacle discrimination ECU performing at least one of a discrimination for determining whether or not an obstacle colliding with the vehicle is the lightweight obstacle and a discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle based on detection signals of the first detection unit, and

performing the discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle based on detection signals of the second detection unit, the obstacle discrimination ECU sending instructions corresponding to discrimination results to a pedestrian protection device of the vehicle, wherein

the obstacle discrimination ECU determines that the obstacle colliding with the vehicle is the heavyweight obstacle when an output value of the second detection unit is larger than a first threshold value, and does not activate a passenger protection airbag when the output value of the second detection unit is larger than the first threshold value but is smaller than a second threshold value that is larger than the first threshold value, and

the obstacle discrimination ECU activates the passenger protection airbag to be deployed when the output value of the second detection unit is larger than the second threshold value.

2. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein:

the obstacle discrimination ECU performs the discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the lightweight obstacle and the discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle, based on the detection signals of the first detection unit; and

the obstacle discrimination ECU performs a backup discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle based on the detection signals of the second detection unit.

3. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein

the obstacle discrimination ECU performs the discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the lightweight obstacle based on the detection signals of the first detection unit, and the discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle based on the detection signals of the second detection unit.

4. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein the low-stiffness member is a front bumper of the vehicle.

5. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein the second detection unit is arranged at a vehicle rear side of the first detection unit.

6. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein the first detection unit is a load sensor for detecting a load exerted at the vehicle in the collision.

7. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 6, wherein:

the load sensor is an optical fiber sensor which has a light emitting unit for emitting light, an optical fiber member for transmitting light emitted by the light emitting unit, and a light receiving unit for receiving light transmitted through the optical fiber member; and

the optical fiber sensor detects the load according to a light receiving amount of the light receiving unit, which varies corresponding to a deformation of the optical fiber member in the collision.

8. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein

the first detection unit is an impedance sensor for detecting one of an AC impedance which varies due to a relative approach of the obstacle, and an electricity amount related to the AC impedance.

9. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein the second detection unit includes at least one acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle in the collision.

10. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein the detection signals of the second detection unit are used for actuation of both the pedestrian protection device and a passenger protection device of the vehicle.

11. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 10, wherein:

the pedestrian protection device includes at least one pedestrian protection airbag; and

the passenger protection device includes at least one passenger protection airbag.

12. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein

the obstacle discrimination ECU activates at least one pedestrian protection airbag and at least one passenger protection airbag based on the detection signals of the first detection unit and the second detection unit.

13. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 12, wherein:

the obstacle discrimination ECU activates the pedestrian protection airbag, when an output value from the first detection unit is larger than or equal to a first-detection unit threshold value and output value from the second detection unit is smaller than the first threshold value.

14. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 13, further comprising

a velocity sensor for detecting a velocity of the vehicle, wherein the first-detection unit threshold value and the first and second threshold values are corrected responding to the velocity of the vehicle.

15. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 7, wherein the optical fiber member has a substantial cord shape, and is arranged to traverse a whole front bumper of the vehicle in a vehicle width direction.

20. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein

the low-stiffness member is a front bumper of the vehicle,

the two front side members are disposed at a vehicle right side and a vehicle left side, and

the second detection unit includes two sensors that are respectively mounted at the upper surfaces of the two front side members and the first detection unit includes a sensor that is mounted at a portion of the front bumper that is disposed at the vehicle front side of the front side members.

21. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 20, wherein

the impact of a collision is substantially transmitted to the two sensors through the front side members.

22. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 1, wherein

in the case where the obstacle colliding with the vehicle is a heavyweight obstacle, performing the discrimination for determining whether or not the obstacle colliding with the vehicle is a heavyweight obstacle is performed even if the first detection unit is broken in the collision of the vehicle.

16. An obstacle discrimination method for discriminating among a pedestrian, a lightweight obstacle lighter than the pedestrian and a heavyweight obstacle heavier than the pedestrian in a collision of a vehicle, the obstacle discrimination method comprising:

a light-collision discrimination step for determining whether or not an obstacle colliding with the vehicle is the lightweight obstacle based on detection signals of a first detection unit; and

a heavy-collision discrimination step for determining whether or not the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle based on the detection signals of the first detection unit and detection signals of a second detection unit, wherein

the first detection unit is mounted at a tow-stiffness member of the vehicle, the low-stiffness member being readily deformed to buffer an impact in the collision,

the second detection unit is mounted at a high-stiffness member of the vehicle, the high-stiffness member being more resistant to a deformation than the low-stiffness member, and

the high-stiffness member is a front side member of the vehicle, and further wherein

the heavy-collision discrimination step includes determining that the obstacle is a heavyweight obstacle when the detection signal of the second detection unit is larger than a first threshold, and

not activating a passenger protection airbag when the detection signal of the second detection unit is larger than the first threshold but is smaller than a second threshold that is larger than the first threshold, and

activating the passenger protection airbag to be deployed when the detection signal of the second detection unit is larger than the second threshold.

17. The obstacle discrimination method according to claim 16, wherein:

in the light-collision discrimination step, it is determined that the obstacle is the lightweight obstacle when data from the detection signals of the first detection unit are smaller than a first-detection unit threshold value.

18. An obstacle discrimination device for discriminating among a pedestrian, a lightweight obstacle lighter than the pedestrian, and a heavyweight obstacle heavier than the pedestrian in a collision of a vehicle, the obstacle discrimination device comprising:

a first detection unit;

a second detection unit which is more resistant to an impact due to the collision than the first detection unit; and

an obstacle discrimination ECU performing

a first discrimination for determining whether an or not an obstacle colliding with the vehicle is the lightweight obstacle based on a detection signal of the first detection unit,

a second discrimination for determining whether the obstacle is the pedestrian based on a detection signal from the first detection unit and a detection signal from the second detection unit, and

a third discrimination for determining whether the obstacle is the heavyweight obstacle based on a detection signal from the second detection unit, wherein

the first discrimination results in a determination that an obstacle colliding with the vehicle is a lightweight obstacle when the detection signal of the first detection unit is less than a first detection unit threshold value, and

the second discrimination results in a determination that the obstacle colliding with the vehicle is a pedestrian when the detection signal of the first detection unit is greater than or equal to the first detection unit threshold value and the detection signal of the section detection unit is less than a first threshold value of the second detection unit, and

the third discrimination results in a determination that an obstacle colliding with the vehicle is a heavyweight obstacle when the detection signal of the second detection unit is greater than the first threshold value of the second detection unit.

19. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 18, wherein

when the second discrimination results in a determination that the obstacle colliding with the vehicle is a pedestrian, the obstacle discrimination ECU activates at least one pedestrian protection device, and

when the second discrimination results in a determination that the obstacle colliding with the vehicle is the heavyweight obstacle, the obstacle discrimination ECU activates at least one passenger protection device if the value of the second detection unit is larger than a second threshold value of the second detection unit that is larger than the first threshold value of the second detection unit.

23. The obstacle discrimination device according to claim 18, wherein

in the case where the obstacle colliding with the vehicle is a heavyweight obstacle, performing the third discrimination occurs even if the first detection unit is broken in the collision of the vehicle.